Multi-pattern section inlaid fabric and method of making same



NOV. 15, 1960 LEVIN 2,959,946

MULTI-PATTERN SECTION INLAID FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FlE- 'L Flca- E1 FLE... E

INVENTOR. Nat/Ian Zew'n "-8484 NJ M; ATTORNEY.

Nov. 15, 1960 N. LEVIN 4 v MULTI-PATTERN SECTION INLAID FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed D80. 24, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Not/7 an Lev/n ATTORNEY.

United States Patent; P

1 2,959,946 MULTI-PATTERN SECTION INLAID FABRIC AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Nathan Levin, Trenton, N.J., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvama Filed Dec. 24, 1956, Ser. No. 630,101 Claims. (Cl. 6643) The present invention relates generally to the art of knitting and more particularly to the type of patterned fabric having an inlaid or intarsia design formed therein by a plurality of individual suture-joined pattern sections, and to the method of making the same.

It is an object of the present invention to provide this type of patterned fabric, preferably but not necessarily in tubular form, which may comprise portions of finished articles such as hosiery, formed of a plurality of generally coursewise connected individual pattern sections, wherein the pattern sections are connected by suture seams, and wherein the suture seams have the terminal loops of pairs of courses of adjacent sections arranged in alternation.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method of knitting the type of multi-pattern section fabric above set forth, on a multi-feed circular knitting machine by reciprocatory knitting wherein successive pairs of courses of spaced pattern sections are knit in alternation with successive pairs of courses of intervening pattern sections.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of knitting the type of multi-pattern section fabric above set forth, on a multi-feed circular knitting machine by reciprocatory knitting, wherein the number of pattern sections is in excess of the number of feeds and wherein pairs of courses of at least adjoining pattern sections are knit in alternation upon the same feed of the machine. In the case of an eight section pattern made upon a four feed machine, pairs of courses of alternate pattern sections are knit on the four feeds in alternation with the knitting of pairs of courses of the intervening pattern sections, on the same four feeds.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments of the invention as shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel fabrics and in the methods of making the same, as hereinafter described and as set forth in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a stocking showing a type of eight section suture-joined pattern design in the leg portion thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the opposite side of the stocking shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of a portion of a tubular fabric, which may form the leg of a stocking, showing another type of eight section suture-joined pattern design wherein suture lines extend parallel to the wales;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic layout view of four circular courses of tubular fabric of the eight section suture-joined pattern design, to illustrate the alternate knitting of pairs of courses of spaced pattern sections;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the knitting of courses of four alternate sections of the eight section suture-joined pattern design on four feeds of a circular knitting machine during which time knitting of the intervening four sections is discontinued;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 5 in which the action is reversed, the courses of the intervening sections being formed while knitting is discontinued in the alternate sections;

Figs. 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views similar to Figs. 5 and 6 and showing the alternation in the knitting of pairs of courses of alternate and intervening sections of typedisclosed in the application of Benjamin Franklin with a so-called inlaid or intarsia design 10 made up of a plurality of solid color suture-joined areas of fabric. The design 10 may be placed where desired in the hosiery,

and, in the present instance occupies the area 11 of the I leg portion, all of the area 11 being formed by reciproeating knitting while the areas above and below the area 11 may be formed by rotary knitting. Coursewise of the 'area 11, for example, generally along the line 12, the

tubular leg comprises circular courses of eight separate suture-joined pattern sections of which one section is designated 13 at the front of the leg, another section is designated 14 at the rear of the leg, with three adjoining pattern sections designated 15, 16, and 17 disposed between the front and rear pattern sections 13 and 14 on oneside of the leg, shown in Fig. 1, while three similar adjoining pattern sections designated 18, 19, and 20 are similarly disposed on the other side of the leg, shown in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the pattern sections 16 and .19, each of which is shown as comprising a walewise series of four diamond shaped areas, is co-extensive with the pattern sections 13 and 14 within the area 11, whereas the pattern sections 15, 17, 18, and 20, each of which is shown as comprising a walewise series of three diamond shaped areas, are of lesser extent. It will be understood that the particular location and configuration of the design- 10 has been chosen for illustrative purposes only and that a design of any desired location or configuration is within the scope of the present invention. Each of the various solid color areas of the pattern sections 13 through 20 is joined to its neighboring sections by lines of diagonally extending suture knitting indicated generally at 21. It will be understood that the coursewise Width of eachof the pattern sections may vary with a particular design.

. -Generally the pattern sections 13 and 14 are made of yarns of the hose body color, while each of the other pattern sections, on each side of the leg, is mad-e of contrastingly colored yarns. A plurality of yarns may be associated with each of the pattern sections to provide color or texture changes therein, as desired.

The method of the present invention may be practised upon a multi-feed circular knitting machine of the Coile, Serial No. 329,801, filed January 6, 1953, using an attachment of the type disclosed in PatentNo. 2,948,- 131, issued August 9, 1960, by me, for means to cyclically operate the yarn fingers of the machine, to which reference-may be made, but it will be understood that the practise of the method is not limited to the apparatus of the application and patent referred to.

The machine of the Coile application is provided with four equally spaced knitting feed stations which have been diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 as feeds No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, disposed relative to a circle of needles 22. In the preferred method, the'pattern sections 14 and 15 are knit at feed No. 1, the patternsections 19 and 20 are knit at feed No. 2, the pattern sections 13 and 18 are knit at feed No. 3, and the pattern sections 16 and 17 are knit at feed No. 4. Thearrangement is such that successive pairs of coursesof the pattern sections 14, 19, 13, and 16 are knit during alternate pairs of knitting strokes of the machine at the four feeds, while successive pairs of courses of the pattern sections 15, 20, 18, and 17, are

knit during intervening pairs of knitting strokes of the machine upon the same four feeds. Thus pairs of courses of the alternate pattern sections are knit in alternation with the pairs of courses of the intervening pattern sections. However, in the resultant fabric the corresponding pairs of courses of all of the pattern sections are joined endwise to form complete in-line circular fabric courses of the design area so that each course of eachrpattern section comprises but a partial course of a complete circular course of the tubular fabric.

The Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the manner of forming a number of the circular courses of the area 11 adjacent the line 12, the other courses of the area 11 being similarly formed with the exception that the number of needles knitting each of the pattern sections will be varied so that the outline of each of the pattern sections extends at an angle to the wales, as indicated by the diagonally extending suture lines 21. The bracketed sections of the needle circle 22 indicated at 13 through 20 correspond to the pattern sections of the fabric also indicated at 13 through 20, each numbered section of the needle circle defining a needle group which knits the correspondingly numbered pattern section of the fabric. Hereafter the needle groups defined by brackets 14, 19, 13, and 16 will be referred to as alternate needle groups and groups 15, 20, 18, and 17 will be referred to as intervening needle groups. It will be understood that the number of needles comprising each group will vary as the width of its correspondingly formed pattern section varies.

In Fig. 5, courses of the pattern sections 14, 19, 13, and 16, are being formed on the correspondingly numbered alternate needle groups of active yarns 14a, 19a, 13a, and 16a, shown as being fed through actively positioned yarn guides (disposed on the outer side of needle circle 22) 14b, 19b, 13b, and 16b, at feeds No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, respectively. The yarn 14a is shown as being fed to the needles of group 14 at Me, the yarn 19a to needle group 19 at 19e, the yarn 13a to needle group 13 at 13a, and the yarn 16a to needle group 16 at 16c. At this time, courses of the intervening pattern sections 15, 20, 18, and 17, are not being formed on the intervening needle groups 15, 20, 18, and 17, and inactive yarns 15a, 20a, 18a, and 17a, are shown as leading from inactively positioned yam guides (disposed on the inner side of the needle circle 22) 15b, 20b, 18b, and 17b, at feeds No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4, respectively, to the ends 15d, 20d, 18d, and 17d, of their respective needle groups.

As the needle cylinder 22 moves through each pair of knitting strokes (Fig. 5) the first of which is in a reverse or clockwise direction while the second is in a forward or counterclockwise direction, knitting takes place at the four feeds, courses for pattern sections 14, 19, 13, and 16 being knit while the intervening needle groups for the other pattern sections are idled as previously explained. In the alternate needle groups 14, 19, 13, and 16, the yarns 14a, 19a, 13a, and 16a, are first fed to the ends 14d, 19d, 13d, and 16d, of the corresponding needle groups, at the start of the reverse stroke, after which these yarns are fed to and are knit on these needle groups to the ends thereof. at 14c, 19c, 13c, and 16c, during the rest of the reverse stroke. Then for the following forward stroke of the pair of strokes, the same yarns are fed to and knit by the same needle groups but in reverse, that is feeding first takes place at the ends 14c, 19c, 13c, and 160, and terminates at the ends 14d, 19d, 13d, and 16d. At the end of this pair of strokes, these yarns 14a, 19a, 13a, and 16a, will then extend from the d ends of their respective needle groups (which will be idled), and their yarn fingers 14b, 19b, 13b, and 16b, will be in the inactive positions inside the needle circle, Fig. 6, while the next pair of knitting strokes forms a pair of courses on the intervening needle groups 15, 20, 18, and 17' (which will be activated).

As seen in Fig. 6, for the next pair of strokes yarn guides 15b, 20b, 18b, and 17b, are placed in the active positions outside the needle circle 22 where they feed the yarns 15a, 20a, 18a, and 17a, to the correspondingly numbered intervening needle groups 15, 20, 18, and 17 as indicated at the points 15a, 20a, 18a, and 17s, at the four feeds. During the reverse stroke of the pair of strokes the yarns 15a, 20a, 18a, and 17a, are first fed to the d ends of the respective needle groups at the start of the stroke, after which the yarns are fed to and are knit on these needle groups of the c ends thereof, then the forward stroke is made during which the same yarns are fed to and are knit by the same intervening needle groups but in reverse, that is, from the 0 ends to the d ends thereof.

This completes a pair of courses for each of the eight pattern sections, knit alternately on the alternate and on the intervening groups of needles. Thereafter the four stroke knitting sequence is repeated to form the area 11 of the stocking, starting once more with the arrangement of Fig. 5. -It should be noted that the idled yarns of each of the idled needle groups extend from the corresponding d ends thereof to the idled yarn guides, and that knitting begins and stops at the same corresponding d ends of each of the active needle groups. Furthermore, the pair of pattern sections knit at each feed have the same relation to each other as do the yarn guides at each feed, for example, at feed N0. 1, Figs. 5 and 6, the pattern section of the needle group 14 is to the right of the pattern section of needle group 15 in the same way that yarn guide 14b is to the right of yarn guide 15b. It will be understood that the needle selective means of the machine will activate and idle the appropriate needle groups (and will vary the number of needles per group) for the appropriate pairs of courses and that the yarn guides will likewise be varied between feeding and non-feeding positions for the appropriate pairs of courses. For the reasons set forth, the eight yarns forming the eight pattern sections do not become entangled with each other during the knitting although portions thereof do cross and uncross within the needle circle as the latter reciprocates.

It will be understood that end needles common to adjoining needle groups take the yarns pertaining to both groups to form the connecting suture lines 21 between the corresponding pattern sections. Since pairs of courses of the adjoining pattern sections are knit in alternation, it follows that the terminal stitches of such pairs of courses are arranged in alternation in the suture lines. While this may be termed a fill-in method of knitting, it is limited to pairs of courses of pattern sections.

Referring to Fig. 4, the pair of complete circular courses 23 and 24 is made during four knitting strokes. During the first two strokes, the pairs of partial courses of alternate sections 13, 16, 14 and 19, are made, While during the next two strokes, the pairs of partial courses of intervening sections 15, 17, 18, and 20 are made. The courses 25 and 26 are made by repeating the stated sequence of operation. Although pairs of courses of the intervening and of the alternate pattern sections are made at different times, the ends of the pairs of corresponding courses are so joined in the suture lines 21 as to give the appearance of complete circular courses. The number of needles in each of the needle groups may vary from course to course, Fig. 4, so thatthe end needles of each needle group may vary for each knitted course, or the needle groups may be varied less frequently. The leading needle of each needle group, in each direction of knitting at each feeding station, forms a tuck stitch which is incorporated in the suture lines 21.

While the suture lines 21 of the design 10 extend at an angle to the wales, it should be understood that a design having vertical suture lines, parallel to the wales, may be made by the method of the present invention. Fig. 3 illustrates one side of an eight section pattern design in the leg of a stocking wherein certain of the suture lines, at 27, extend vertically along the wales of the fabric. The portion of the design is made in the manner described in connection with Figs. 5 and 6, with the exception that the number of needles remain unchanged in the various needle groups. The tucking of the leading needles, which are needles upon which the sutures are formed, in both directions of knitting, act to reduce the otherwise increased number of stitches in the suture seams, in the fabric of Fig. 3 as well as in the fabric of Figs. 1 and 2.

The stitch construction of the suture lines may be understood by referring to Figs. 9 and 10 which shows the suture 27 between four courses of each of an adjacent pair of pattern sections knit alternately. For a pair of courses in the right hand pattern section, as a needle group makes a reverse stroke from right to left to form course 29, the leading needle forms a tuck stitch T while the remaining needles form normal stitches of which the terminal needle stitch is indicated at K, and then, as the needle group makes a forward stroke from left to right to form course 30, the leading needle forms a tuck stitch T while the remaining needles form normal stitches of which the terminal needle stitch is indicated at K. Next a pair of courses 31 and 32 are similarly formed for the left hand pattern section, the leading and terminal tuck and normal stitches being similarly indicated at T and K. Then follows, in order, a pair of courses 33 and 34 for the right hand pattern section, and a pair of courses 35 and 36 for the left hand pattern section. Thus, in the suture 27, terminal stitches of pairs of courses of the pattern sections are arranged in alternation. The suture lines 21 are similarly formed, however they extend diagonally since the number of needles in the needle groups are varied in accordance with the desired shapes of the pattern sections.

In the design 10, Figs. 1 and 2, there is a portion thereof generally along the line 28, wherein only four suturejoined pattern sections form the tubular leg portion of the hosiery. This portion of the four pattern sections 14, 19, 13, and 16, may be made by the two course fill-in method above described, or may be simultaneously made by the method of the said Coile application. In the fillin method disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, two courses of the alternate pattern sections 14 and 13 are knit on their corresponding alternate needle groups at feeds Nos. 1 and 3, of yarns 14a and 13a fed to the needles from yarn guides 14b and 13b, respectively, while the needle groups of the intervening pattern sections 16 and 19 are idle. Thereafter the action is reversed and two courses of the intervening pattern sections 16 and 19 are knit on their corresponding intervening needle groups at feeds Nos. 4 and 2, of yarns 16a and 19a fed to the needles from yarn guides 16b and 1%, respectively while the needle groups of alternate pattern sections 14 and 13 are idle. The above four stroke sequence is repeated for the next two circular courses of fabric. Inasmuch as a single pattern section only is being made at each of the four feeds (when the entire design comprises a four section pattern), the yarns may remain in feeding positions at each of the feeds, for the low-level idled needle groups will not take yarns.

While the operation of each feed, Figs. 5 and 6, has been described in connection with the making of a pair of adjacent pattern sections thereat, it will be understood that the invention is not so limited and that three or more adjacent pattern sections may be made at each feed, two courses of each of the pattern sections being made in turn during successive pairs of knitting strokes. For example, if three adjoining pattern sections are to be made at a feed, there are three adjoining needle groups individually served by three yarns from three adjacent yarn fingers at that feed, as will be understood it requires 7 six knitting strokes to form a pair of courses for each of the three pattern sections, the activations of the proper needle groups and related yarn guides being made in regular order for the three pairs of knitting strokes.

Having thus described my invention in full detail, it will be understood that these details need not be strictly adhered to and that various changes and modifications may be made all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A method of forming tubular knit fabric having a plurality of suture-joined coursewise pattern sections by reciprocating knitting on a circular knitting machine having at least four knitting stations, said number of knitting stations being less than the number of said pattern sections, including the step of forming a pair of courses of spaced pattern sections at said knitting stations, and the step of forming a pair of courses of the remaining pattern sections at at least certain of said knitting stations, and repeating said sequence of operations.

2. A method of forming tubular knit fabric having at least eight suture-joined pattern sections by reciprocating knitting on a circular knitting machine having four knitting stations, including the step of forming a pair of courses of the alternate pattern sections at said four knitting stations, the step of forming a pair of courses of the intervening pattern sections at said four knitting stations, and repeating said steps.

3. Method of forming tubular knit fabric having a plurality of pairs of adjoining suture-joined pattern sections by reciprocating knitting on a circular knitting machine having at least four knitting stations, including the step of forming a pair of courses of one of each of said pairs of pattern sections at said knitting staions, the step of forming a pair of courses of the other of each of said pairs of pattern sections at said knitting stations, and repeating said steps.

4. A method of forming tubular knit fabric having a plurality of suture-joined coursewise pattern sections by reciprocating knitting on a circular knitting machine having at least four knitting stations, said number of knitting stations being less than the number of said pattern sections, including the step of forming pairs of,

courses of certain of said pattern sections at said knitting stations in alternation with the formation of pairs of courses of other of said pattern sections.

5. A method of forming tubular knit fabric having a" f plurality of suture-joined pattern sections by reciprocating knitting on a like plurality of needle groups of the needle circle of a circular knitting machine'having at least four knitting stations, said number of knitting stations being less than the number of said needle groups, g

each of said pattern sections being formed on a corresponding one of said needle groups, including the step of forming a pair of courses of individual yarns on spaced needle groups at said knitting stations, the step of forming a pair of courses of other individual yarns on other spaced needle groups at said knitting stations, and repeating said steps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

